Method and system for activating a PCB analysis utilizing manufacturing capability data

1 . A method for activating, by a data processing system, a printed circuit board (PCB) analysis utilizing manufacturing capability data shared in a multi-tenant collaborative network in a mixed cloud and on-premise environment, the method comprising:

providing access to a tenant's account of a design-for-manufacturability (DFM) application deployed on the tenant's premises, the DFM application being enabled to activate a PCB analysis on a DFM profile comprising manufacturing capability data;

via the tenant's account, requesting to a cloud data layer a utilization authorization of a given DFM profile stored in the cloud data layer;

when the utilization is authorized, downloading to the tenant's premises the given DFM profile embedded in a locked DFM envelope, the locked DFM envelope being generated by locking together the given DFM profile with an injected identifier identifying the authorized tenant's account; and

while logged into the tenant's account, activating via the DFM application the PCB analysis by permitting the unlocking of the DFM profile from the locked DFM envelope only when the identifier of the tenant's account matches the injected identifier.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , which comprises requesting the utilization authorization of the given DFM profile as a cloud collaboration request.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , which comprises generating the locked DFM envelope within the cloud.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , which comprises generating the locked DFM envelope by performing the following:

if the DFM profile is an encrypted DFM profile, decrypting the DFM profile;

generating the DFM envelope as a file comprising the DFM profile and the injected authorized identifier; and

optionally encrypting the DFM envelope.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , which comprises generating the DFM envelope by injecting a tenant ID within the encryption key.

6 . A data processing system, comprising:

a processor; and

an accessible memory, the data processing system with said processor being configured to:

a) provide access to a tenant's account of a design-for-manufacturability (DFM) application deployed on a tenant's premises, said DFM application being enabled to activate a printed circuit board (PCB) analysis on a DFM profile comprising manufacturing capability data;

b) via the tenant's account, request from a cloud data layer a utilization authorization of a given DFM profile stored in the cloud data layer;

c) in case of an authorized utilization, download to the tenant's premises, the given DFM profile embedded in a locked envelope, the locked DFM envelope being a DFM envelope generated by locking together the given DFM profile with an injected identifier identifying the authorized tenant's account;

d) via the DFM application, when logged into the tenant's account, activate the PCB analysis by permitting the unlocking of the DFM profile from the DFM envelope only when the identifier of the tenant's account matches the injected identifier.

7 . The data processing system according to claim 6 , wherein the request of item b) is performed as a cloud collaboration request.

8 . The data processing system according to claim 6 , wherein the locked DFM envelope is generated within the cloud.

9 . The data processing system according to claim 6 , wherein the locked DFM envelope is generated by:

if the DFM profile is an encrypted DFM profile, decrypting the DFM profile;

generating the locked DFM envelope as a file comprising the DFM profile and the injected authorized identifier; and

optionally encrypting the DFM envelope.

10 . The data processing system according to claim 6 , wherein the locked DFM envelope is generated by injecting a tenant ID within the encryption key.

11 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with executable instructions which, when executed, cause one or more data processing systems to:

a) provide access to a tenant's account of a design-for-manufacturability (DFM) application deployed on a tenant's premises, said DFM application being enabled to activate a printed circuit board (PCB) analysis on a DFM profile comprising manufacturing capability data;

b) via the tenant's account, request to a cloud data layer a utilization authorization of a given DFM profile stored in the cloud data layer;

c) in case of an authorized utilization, download, to the tenant's premises, the given DFM profile embedded in a locked DFM envelope; the DFM envelope being generated by locking together the given DFM profile with an injected identifier identifying the authorized tenant's account; and

d) via the DFM application when logged into the tenant's account, activate a PCB analysis by permitting the unlocking of the DFM profile from the DFM envelope only when the identifier of the tenant's account matches the injected identifier.

12 . The computer-readable medium according to claim 11 , wherein the request of item b) is a cloud collaboration request.

13 . The computer-readable medium according to claim 11 , wherein the DFM envelope is generated within the cloud.

14 . The computer-readable medium according to claim 11 , wherein the DFM envelope is generated by performing the following steps:

if the DFM profile is an encrypted DFM profile, decrypting the DFM profile;

generating the DFM envelope as a file comprising the DFM profile and the injected authorized identifier;

optionally, encrypting the DFM envelope.

15 . The computer-readable medium according to claim 11 , wherein the DFM envelope is generated by injecting the tenant ID within the encryption key.